Moving parts and mechanics

[Captain_Hilts]

On 7/8/2017 at 8:10 AM, Ben Fargo said:

The problem in Space Engineers is the way they implemented collision damage.  The moving parts keep colliding with each other and when they are damaged enough they explode.  DU will not be handling voxel to voxel collisions the same way Space Engineers does, so it should be possible to avoid that problem.

 

I am curious how moving parts could be used to automate anything.  They could definitely make a more interesting experience for players, but I do not see how they would actually contribute to anything we would be concerned about automating, like mining, crafting, building or fighting.

 

Moving parts might no increase the strain on the game that much.  If it can already handle a large number number of moving constructs, would connecting some of them be worse?  It might actually be less of  a load, because the movements of the parts relative to each other would be more predictable.

 

Without the in-depth knowledge of how the software works that the developers have, it is difficult so say what will or will not be practical.  If moving parts are practical, I really hope they are implemented some time.

Yes this -

I don't really understand how they can get ships/buildings that are one piece (ie no moving parts) to work let alone having moving parts.
 How are they able to process all those unique voxels on their server?
I mean - they've said they can do it - and that a large ship would be no more difficult than the planets etc.
I get that procedural generation of planets with formulas and variables along with LOD allows a whole planet to be created with very little data (relatively speaking)
I just don't get how that can translate into huge structures we have created because - they're not a formula they're a custom design.

Nevertheless they've said ships / cities / space stations are no more difficult than the planets. So I am hopeful they will be able to implement moving parts.

[dylanp1234]

I think you should try to think of machines not like in the transformers video but like pistons and other things like that in minecraft.

 

You wont be able to do very complicated things like that but if we had pistons (like minecraft) we could build some automatic big ramps/backdoors opening and closing.

[Frenotx]

I'd love if they added some rotating elements, or at least engines that can rotate (but you can't attach stuff to them). It would be cool to be able to make something like a firefly-class ship, a keelback (elite: dangerous), or an osprey (irl aircraft).

[Captain_Hilts]

Just dreaming here so...

 

It seems at first glance each side of every hinge / turntable / clamp etc. would have to be simulated as a separate dynamic construct. Basically it's own ship.
That seems like it would get out of hand really fast.

But perhaps they could get it to not be simulated server side - and only have to transmit to the server a changed state. IE when the engines rotate.
Hopefully something like that would work.

Seems like they must have some really great anti-hack/anti-cheat tech that allows them to allow the client side to run calculations and then just tell the server the result. 

[ADFormer]

Sorry for the months of silence, I kind of forgot about this....... But for my source, honestly I just heard from people in the organization I'm in, the TU.

[Eternal]

The word you are looking for is "Actuators". (they work mainly Hydraulically. Some can pneumatically or electrically<with motor> work).

The attaching-rod is called a piston. But to call this whole-thing a "piston", it sounds like you are talking about otto-engines (the piston is inside that cylinder-bore). Call this thing actuators, it's just easier to understand.

 

Yeah, the idea of Actuators will be great! It extends and retracts. The function is simple, only extending and retracting in linear-form. This kind of thing is basic of mechanical. The fork on a fork-lift, how do you think it can lift the fork? It has Actuators that mechanically-works with a motor to raise the Mast and it uses mechanical-chain(like in bicycles) to lift the fork. That's how it works, and this is basic-engineering! An ICBM-mobile-launcher, how do you think it points the missile upwards? 

Bearing-joints and actuators! 

Even with robotics, this is how it works. Oh yeah, JC has robotics-background, so I do not doubt this idea came to their mind already.